The present invention relates to multimedia communications, and more particularly, to a rich media communication system based on user combinations of computer graphics, video, still images, audio, and text.
Communication formats have evolved from text to interactive audio-visual communications. Recent virtual reality models generally involve the creation of a shared-space world in which the persons involved in the experience each represent a character in the shared-space world. The user representations, often referred to as avatars, in general consist of video representations or of graphic representations that are animated by a mouse or keyboard. Such virtual reality models often have been limited to real-time interactive communications. Such scenarios and representations limit the creativity and expression available using rich media communication formats.
Accordingly, there exists a need for a system and related tools for providing rich media communications. The present invention satisfies these needs.